{"id":1485637,"date":"2021-09-09T11:30:44","date_gmt":"2021-09-09T03:30:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsinfo.inquirer.net\/?p=1485637"},"modified":"2021-09-09T12:35:16","modified_gmt":"2021-09-09T04:35:16","slug":"lacson-regrets-backing-ntf-elcac-funds-merong-favoritism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsinfo.inquirer.net\/1485637\/lacson-regrets-backing-ntf-elcac-funds-merong-favoritism","title":{"rendered":"Lacson regrets backing NTF-Elcac funds: ‘Merong favoritism’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Lacson:<\/a>

FILE PHOTO: Senator Panfilo Lacson speaks during a hybrid plenary session on Wednesday, August 4, 2021. (Photo by Senate PRIB)<\/p><\/div>\n

MANILA, Philippines \u2014 Senator Panfilo Lacson on Thursday admitted that he regretted supporting the budget of the government\u2019s anti-insurgency task force, which he said is playing favorites in funds distribution.<\/p>\n

In an interview over ABS-CBN 黑料社 Channel, Lacson was asked pointblank if he regretted supporting the Anti-Terror Law as well as the budget of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac), which is carrying out the counter-insugency measures.<\/p>\n

\u201cNTF-Elcac yes, meron akong mga frustrations because of what I\u2019ve been hearing from the other LGUs (local government units),\u201d\u00a0 he said.<\/p>\n

From P19 billion this year, the anti-insurgency task force has been allotted P28.1 billion<\/a> in the\u00a0 proposed national budget next year.<\/p>\n

Lacson said the proposed budget for the task force in 2022 was a \u201cbit too much,\u201d noting there were still unutilized funds this year.<\/p>\n

Its budget would have been \u201cworth supporting\u201d if the concept of the NTF-Elcac<\/a>‘s concept of fighting insurgency by way of development was only followed, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPero dahil nga sa implementation, merong favoritism at namimili kung sino, again, kung sino ang kaalyado sinong gustong tulungan, dun ang bibigyan ng maraming pondo,\u201d he pointed out. \u201cThere\u2019s something really very wrong in the implementation. So again we have to scrutinize, we have to look at itemized budgeting for the NTF-Elcac and they will have to justify.\u201d<\/p>\n

(But because of the implementation, there\u2019s favoritism and they choose the recipients, and\u00a0 allies who get more funds.)<\/p>\n

According to the senator, there were LGUs that received more funds from the task force, such as Davao City, President Rodrigo Duterte\u2019s hometown.<\/p>\n

But no less than presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte has said they do not need the P1.5 billion budget from NTF-Elcac since there were no surrenderees anyway in their area, Lacson said.<\/p>\n

Davao del Norte with 2,000 surrenderees, on the other hand, had zero budget from the task force, the senator further noted.<\/p>\n

Lacson, meanwhile, stood firm on his support for the Anti-Terror Act.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. I don\u2019t have any regrets at all because I still believe it\u2019s a very good law. But a good law being implemented by a bad government, that\u2019s another matter,\u201d\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut why blame the law itself? Maglagay na lang tayo ng how to institute checks and balances,\u201d he went on.<\/p>\n\n\n

EDV<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MANILA, Philippines \u2014 Senator Panfilo Lacson on Thursday admitted that he regretted supporting the budget of the government\u2019s anti-insurgency task force, which he said is playing favorites in funds distribution. In an interview over ABS-CBN 黑料社 Channel, Lacson was asked pointblank if he regretted supporting the Anti-Terror Law as well as the budget of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1256,"featured_media":1469358,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,37],"tags":[703,149,513740,512],"byline":[75],"source":[206075],"column":[],"editor":[523403],"videographer":[],"position":[],"class_list":["post-1485637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-stories","category-nation","tag-budget","tag-insurgency","tag-ntf-elcac","tag-senate","byline-maila-ager","source-inquirer-net","editor-evangeline-valderrama"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLacson regrets backing NTF-Elcac funds: 'Merong favoritism' | Inquirer 黑料社<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Senator Panfilo Lacson on Thursday admitted that he regretted 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